Most Played Video Games of 2016

Aristotle once said that all men, by nature, are social animals. Therefore, there should be no surprise that the hobby that was once stereotyped as a hobby for introverts has become less of an individual activity. Video gaming as a hobby has become more mainstream and games for groups or teams are now popular social activities.

Since the 1980’s, the popularity of video gaming has been steadily increasing. With that newfound popularity, more video games are adapting to become more accommodating and appealing to the more extroverted population. While it is true that a significant fraction of video gamers is still largely introverted, preferring the familiarity of single player games, it is now undeniable that the most popular video games in this time and age are the video games that allow for social interaction inside the game.

In fact, statistics have shown that the games with the highest number of unique players either belongs to the Multiplayer Online Battle Arena/Action Real Time Strategy (MOBA /ARTS) genre like DotA 2 and League of Legends, the Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPG) genre like World of Warcraft , or the First Person Shooters (FPS) like Counter Strike and Call of Duty. These are games that either allow people to play with their friends online or allow them to initiate new friendships online. Even if the player does not care for the friendly aspect of these games, the competitiveness inherent in multiplayer games attract a lot of hardcore gamers looking to be the best in their respective game of choice. If you’re looking for users to play you can connect online using social dating apps. If you’re into nude selfies and like to sext while playing check out some nude women app. Its an app connect locals and like minded people and great for creating unique relationships online. It’s great to find people for multiplayer games.

Another strength of these games is that every experience or play through of a game is likely to be unique. Because there are millions of unique players making choices that affect each other and each other’s choices, the replay value of these games is very high. Add the various updates and patches that keep things from getting too stale while keeping most of the familiarity the players have and anyone can see the main reason that the following games have remained popular even after so many years:

World of Warcraft, or WoW for short, is the fourth game set in the Warcraft fantasy universe. Released in 2004 by the game publisher Blizzard, this game has managed be at or near the top of this kind of lists each year. While Blizzard has been refusing to release any official number of subscriptions the past year, it was mentioned in the Q3 2016 financial report of Activision Blizzard that World of Warcraft still holds the number one spot among the subscriber based MMORPG’s.

The game Hearthstone is another popular game by Blizzard. Hearthstone is a card game that contains many elements taken from the Warcraft fantasy universe. Released in 2014 by Blizzard, Hearthstone managed to have 50 million concurrent players after only two years. To add to that, Hearthstone is the most watched video game in the world of E-sports. This means that it also has the highest paid pro gamers in the world.

Overwatchis yet another Blizzard game that manages to make this list and the only one that is not set in the Warcraft universe. Released in early 2016, Overwatch is an online First Person Shooter game with unique gameplay and a unique aesthetic (for an FPS) that has managed to get about 20 million players. It is currently the fastest growing game in this list.

Counter Strike: Global Offensive is the fourth release of the Counter Strike series. It is another online First Person Shooter game, this time published by the Valve Company and the Hidden Path Entertainment. While it was the most popular multiplayer game when it came out, selling above 12 million copies, its sudden rise in popularity only really came about 2 years ago. Today, nearly 3 million players join each month.

DotA 2, or Defense of the Ancients 2, is a MOBA/ARTS game developed by Valve. It traces its roots to the very popular mod, DotA Allstars, that was made for Blizzard’s Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. It is currently the most played game available on Steam, with more than 15 unique million players signing in each day. It has been in the top spot for many years.

With over 100 million players, League of Legends, or LoL for short, is currently the most popular game of this year. Released by Riot Games in 2009, it managed to be the most popular game in 2012 and has held this position in the following years. LoL is another MOBA/ARTS game that was inspired by the popular Warcraft III mod, DotA Allstars.